ATL’s Bring Your Child to Work Day blends education, fun
Young “Propellers” explore the Delta Flight Museum during ATL’s Bring Your Child to Work Day May 1. © 2018 Decisive Moment Events
By Anika Robertson
Senior Editor/Assistant Public Relations Manager
Nearly 150 children skipped school for a day of hands-on education at the world’s busiest and most efficient airport.
It was all part of ATL’s Bring Your Child to Work Day, an initiative that encourages youngsters to learn about their parents’ jobs and other careers throughout the aviation industry.
As part of the day’s activities May 1, students ages 6-17 visited several Airport facilities and witnessed a K-9 demonstration from the Atlanta Police Department Bomb Unit at ATL’s North Cargo building. Students were segmented into three groups by age, with each following a specific itinerary.
The “Propellers,” ages 6 to 9, toured the Delta Flight Museum and visited ATL’s Centralized Command and Control Center. The “Aviators,” ages 10 to 13, toured the airfield and visited ATL’s Fire Station 33 to learn about fire equipment and response procedures. The “Jetsetters,” ages 14 to 17, toured North America’s tallest FAA air traffic control tower and participated in emergency training exercises at the Delta Air Lines’ training center.
The 25th anniversary of Bring Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day fell on April 27, but local school testing forced ATL to move its event to a later date. As with the national program, the goal of ATL’s Bring Your Child to Work Day is to inspire youth to dream big and believe in themselves.
“This employee-facilitated event serves as a model for what our children can achieve in their future careers,” said Community Affairs Manager Tracy Gilbert, the event’s organizer.
“In other words, the kids see it so they can be it.”
Alex Elling, a young “Aviator,” touted the program as “fun” and “amazing.”
“The coolest part of today was being able to go on the runway,” said Elling, a first-time participant. “[We drove] beside the planes that are being fixed. You can see how big they really are in comparison to seeing a dot in the sky.”
When the seventh-grader grows up, he wants to work at ATL like his mom in capital finance.
But for now, Elling has homework: to write a paper on his “exciting” day at the Airport to share with his class.
